Toilet device and method for flushing a toilet bowl

ABSTRACT

A toilet device ( 1 ), at least comprising:
         a toilet bowl ( 2 ); and   a hydraulic accumulator ( 3 ) for storing a pressurized flushing liquid for the toilet bowl ( 2 ), wherein the hydraulic accumulator ( 3 ) is connected to the toilet bowl ( 2 ) via a flushing liquid line ( 4 );
 
a method for flushing a toilet bowl ( 2 ) using a hydraulic accumulator ( 3 ).

This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102021105193.2, filed Mar. 4, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a toilet device and a method for flushing a toilet bowl. Such toilet bowls are used in particular to hold liquid and/or solid bodily excretions.

Toilet devices regularly feature a toilet bowl that can be cleaned by flushing after use. For instance, the flush may include a cistern for holding a flushing liquid, wherein a drain valve can be used to control a drainage of the flushing liquid from the cistern into the toilet bowl. To ensure that the flushing liquid flows into the toilet bowl with sufficient pressure, the cistern has to be disposed above the toilet bowl, for instance in or on a wall disposed behind the toilet bowl. This means that the cistern cannot be positioned freely, which can be a disadvantage, for instance, if space is limited or installation space is not available. In addition, so-called pressure flushing valves are known, the actuation of which permits flushing water for flushing the toilet bowl to be fed directly from a water supply network into the toilet bowl. When using pressure flushing valves, however, considerable flow noise is generated by the flushing liquid when the toilet bowl is flushed. Furthermore, pressure flushing valves require supply lines having a very large diameter.

Therefore the invention addresses the problem of solving at least a part of the issues described with reference to the prior art and, in particular, of providing a toilet device, the toilet bowl of which can be flushed with little noise even in tight spaces. Furthermore, a method to flush a toilet bowl in a low-noise manner in tight spaces will also be proposed.

These problems are solved by a toilet device having the features of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. It will be appreciated that the features listed individually in the claims may be combined in any technologically useful manner and define further embodiments of the invention. In addition, the features indicated in the claims are further specified and explained in the description, wherein further preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

A toilet device having at least the characteristics listed below contributes thereto:

-   -   a toilet bowl; and     -   a hydraulic accumulator for storing a pressurized flushing         liquid for the toilet bowl, wherein the hydraulic accumulator is         connected to the toilet bowl via a flushing liquid line.

The toilet device can be used especially in rest rooms, which can be used for personal hygiene, for instance. Furthermore, the toilet device has a toilet bowl, which can be designed, for instance, in the manner of a (sit-down) toilet or a urinal. For instance, the toilet bowl may be located on a floor of a building and/or attached to a wall of the building. Furthermore, the toilet bowl may be at least partially made of ceramics, metal and/or plastic. In addition, the toilet bowl is designed to hold liquid and/or solid body waste. To remove bodily excretions from the toilet bowl, a flushing liquid, especially water, can be used to flush the toilet bowl. In this way, the flushing liquid can be used to preferably completely flush the bodily excretions located in the toilet bowl towards a drain and then also out of the toilet bowl.

For this purpose, the toilet device has a hydraulic accumulator for storing the flushing liquid, which may be disposed, for instance, at the toilet bowl or in and/or on the wall of the building. The hydraulic accumulator can be designed in the form of a pressure accumulator, in which the pressurized flushing liquid can be stored. For this purpose, the hydraulic accumulator can have a holding chamber for the flushing liquid.

The holding chamber can, for instance, be formed in a pressure vessel of the hydraulic accumulator. For instance, the pressure vessel may be at least partially made of plastic or metal, such as stainless steel, steel, coated steel, or brass. For instance, the holding chamber may have a holding capacity for flushing liquid of 1 L (Liter) to 20 L, preferably 2.5 L to 9 L. For instance, the pressure can be generated by a source of mechanical energy, such as a motor, a spring, a lifted weight, and/or a compressed gas. The gas can be nitrogen or air, for instance.

The holding chamber may be separated from a chamber of the hydraulic accumulator (liquid-tight) in which the source of mechanical energy is disposed by a flexible and/or movable separating element, for instance in the manner of a diaphragm, bellows, bladder or piston. By filling the holding chamber with the flushing liquid, the source of mechanical energy can, for instance, be tensioned and/or compressed, such that a mechanical energy stored as a result generates a pressure on the flushing liquid in the holding chamber.

A flushing liquid line connects the hydraulic accumulator to the toilet bowl. In this way, the flushing liquid for flushing the toilet bowl can be routed to the toilet bowl from the holding chamber via the flushing liquid line. The hydraulic accumulator can be used to supply the flushing liquid to the toilet bowl during flushing, in particular with a flushing liquid pressure of 2 bar to 10 bar, preferably 2 bar to 8 bar. The flushing liquid line can be at least partially designed in the manner of a pipe line and/or hose line. The hydraulic accumulator permits the toilet bowl to be flushed quietly even in tight spaces.

The hydraulic accumulator may be connected to a source of the flushing liquid. The source of the flushing liquid can in particular be a public water mains. When filling the holding chamber with the flushing liquid, the flushing liquid can be fed into the holding chamber, in particular with a supply pressure of the flushing liquid source. For this purpose, the hydraulic accumulator can be connected to the flushing liquid source, for instance, via a supply line. The supply line can be at least partially designed in the manner of a pipeline and/or hose line. In addition, the feed line may have a small diameter (for instance, less than 50 mm or less than 25 mm). I.e., the flushing liquid can be slowly fed to the hydraulic accumulator via a thin feed line. At the same time, the hydraulic accumulator can deliver the flushing liquid for a flushing process at a high speed. For this purpose, the diameter of the flushing liquid line can be larger than the diameter of the feed line. In particular, the hydraulic accumulator can dispense the flushing liquid faster than it can take it in. For that reason, the hydraulic accumulator can be designed or used as a “water booster”. Furthermore, the feed line can have a feed valve, which can be used to control the feeding of the flushing liquid into the holding chamber of the hydraulic accumulator. The supply pressure of the flushing liquid source can be, for instance, 2 bar to 10 bar, preferably 2 bar to 8 bar.

The hydraulic accumulator may be disposed at least partially adjacent to the toilet bowl. This may mean, for instance, that the hydraulic accumulator is disposed at least partially at the same height as the toilet bowl. Further, this may mean, for instance, that the hydraulic accumulator is disposed at the toilet bowl or wall of the building. The hydraulic accumulator may in particular be disposed at least partially adjacent to the toilet bowl when the toilet device is in a mounted state or in an operational state. In this way, the hydraulic accumulator is easily accessible and easy to maintain.

The hydraulic accumulator may be disposed at least partially beneath the toilet bowl. The hydraulic accumulator may in particular be disposed at least partially beneath the toilet bowl when the toilet device is in a mounted state or in an operational state.

The hydraulic accumulator may be disposed at least partially inside the toilet bowl. This may mean, for instance, that the hydraulic accumulator is not visible when the toilet device is used and/or from outside the toilet bowl. In particular, the hydraulic accumulator may be disposed entirely within the toilet bowl. This means that particularly little installation space is required for the hydraulic accumulator (outside the toilet bowl).

The flushing liquid line may have a valve. In particular, the valve can be operated by a user for flushing the toilet bowl.

The valve may have a timer control. The timer control may be used to open the valve when actuated, for instance, for a predeterminable and/or predefined period of time, such that a predeterminable amount of flushing liquid can be directed into the toilet bowl. Furthermore, the time control can be used to close the valve automatically after the predefinable and/or specified time period has elapsed, for instance.

According to a further aspect, a method for flushing a toilet bowl is also proposed, comprising at least the steps listed below:

a) Providing a pressurized flushing liquid in a hydraulic accumulator; and

b) Feeding the pressurized flushing liquid in the hydraulic accumulator into the toilet bowl.

The method can be implemented using the toilet device disclosed herein. For further details on the procedure, reference is made in full to the description of the toilet device—and vice versa.

The invention and the technical environment are explained in more detail below with reference to the FIGURE. It should be noted that the FIGURES show a particularly preferred embodiment variant of the invention, but the invention is not limited thereto. In an exemplary and schematic manner

FIG. 1 shows a perspective presentation of a lavatory having a device for actuating a flush.

FIG. 1 shows a toilet device 1 having a toilet bowl 2. Here, the toilet bowl 2 is designed in the manner of a sit-down toilet and is disposed on a floor 7 of a building not further shown here. Furthermore, the toilet device 1 comprises a hydraulic accumulator 3 disposed in a wall 8 of the building. The hydraulic accumulator 3 has a holding chamber 9 for a flushing liquid, which can be supplied to the hydraulic accumulator 3 from a flushing liquid source 5 via a supply line 10. The flushing liquid source 5 in this case is a public water mains. The feed line 10 can have a feed valve (not shown here), which can be used to control the feed of the flushing liquid into the holding chamber 9 of the hydraulic accumulator 3. The hydraulic accumulator 3 has a chamber 11, which is separated from the holding chamber 9 for the flushing liquid by a diaphragm 12 and which is filled with a gas. When the flushing liquid is provided in the holding chamber 9, the flushing liquid can compress the gas in the chamber 11 such that the compressed gas pressurizes the flushing liquid.

A flushing liquid line 4 connects the hydraulic accumulator 3 to the toilet bowl 2. The flushing liquid line 4 has a valve 6 that can be actuated by a user of the toilet device 1 to flush the toilet bowl 2. When the valve 6 is opened, the gas in the chamber 11 forces the flushing liquid located in the holding chamber 9 of the hydraulic accumulator 3 into the toilet bowl 2 via the flushing liquid line 4. The flushing liquid can be discharged from the toilet bowl 2 via a drain line not shown here.

The present invention can be used to flush a toilet bowl with low noise, especially when space is tight.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1 Toilet device -   2 Toilet bowl -   3 Hydraulic accumulator -   4 Flushing liquid line -   5 Flushing liquid source -   6 Valve -   7 Floor -   8 Wall -   9 Holding chamber -   10 Feed line -   11 Chamber -   12 Diaphragm 

1. A toilet device (1), at least comprising: a toilet bowl (2); and a hydraulic accumulator (3) for storing a pressurized flushing liquid for the toilet bowl (2), wherein the hydraulic accumulator (3) is connected to the toilet bowl (2) via a flushing liquid line (4).
 2. The toilet device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the hydraulic accumulator (3) is connected on a flushing liquid source (5).
 3. The toilet device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the hydraulic accumulator (3) is disposed at least partially adjacent to the toilet bowl (2).
 4. The toilet device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the hydraulic accumulator (3) is disposed at least partially beneath the toilet bowl (2).
 5. The toilet device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the hydraulic accumulator (3) is disposed at least partially inside the toilet bowl (2).
 6. The toilet device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the flushing liquid line (4) comprises a valve (6).
 7. The toilet device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the valve (6) has a timer control.
 8. A method for flushing a toilet bowl (2); comprising at least the steps outlined below: a) Providing a pressurized flushing liquid in a hydraulic accumulator (3); and b) Feeding the pressurized flushing liquid in the hydraulic accumulator (3) into the toilet bowl (2). 